What is GoToMeeting?

Your business location doesn't have to hinder meetings and seminars.

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Computers have made attending meetings and seminars as easy as clicking a mouse. GoToMeeting, for example, offers different products to reach groups of people through the Internet depending on your needs. GoToMeeting works as a type of online chatroom for group discussions and interaction, whereas GoToWebinar provides a speaker/audience format perfect for presentations and seminar types of gatherings.

Presentation Purpose

First and foremost, pinpoint what the main purpose of your presentation is. If you just want to discuss plans for marketing and sales for the upcoming quarter with your fellow business partners, you probably need GoToMeeting. If, however, you're planning to discuss changes to your industry or offer information to the general public, GoToWebinar will offer more flexibility. GoToMeeting is more of a collaborative tool, while GoToWebinar works better for presentations.

Number of Participants

The number of people you plan to invite to your presentation affects which program you need, as GoToMeeting only supports 25 attendees at a time. GoToWebinar, however, can accommodate up to 1000. You can interact in a conversational way with your attendees in GoToMeeting, while GoToWebinar allows you to require your audience to “raise their hand” to be heard. Attendees cannot communicate with each other in GoToWebinar.

Related Reading: How to Join a GoToMeeting

Scheduling and Registration

Although both programs enable you to schedule a specific day and time for your meeting or presentation, GoToMeeting allows instant setup of a meeting. This means that you can start a meeting on the spur of the moment - providing that all participants are available and ready. GoToWebinar requires a scheduled time for your presentation and all guests must pre-register before they can attend.

Reports, Polls and Surveys

GoToMeeting offers limited reports after the meeting, such as number of attendees. GoToWebinar provides more detailed reports, such as number of registered guests, attendance and other polls and survey responses. This offers valuable research information for future webinars and helps focus your brand or message to address the concerns and interest of your market.